Compost Bin Day is coming up on Saturday, August 19, 2023 from 8:00 to 10:45 a.m. at the Crapo Hill Landfill, 300 Samuel Barnet Blvd., New Bedford. Residents can enter through the New Bedford Business Park.

New Bedford and Dartmouth residents who purchase, or previously purchased, a backyard compost bin can choose from two types of kitchen counter bins to help compost at home. A kitchen counter bin allows for easy food waste disposal in the home while containing odors. Once the bins are full, they can be emptied into the outdoor bin. The two bin options are a plastic Sure-Close kitchen counter bin for free, or a 1-gallon stainless steel kitchen counter bin, available for purchase for $30.28 each. The department can only take cash, check or money order.

Kitchen counter bins are only available on special Compost Bin Days and while supplies last.

The two backyard compost bins, Earth Machine and the New Age Composter, are available at the discounted rate of $25 each, but proof of residency is required. The cost of each compost bin is being subsidized by the two communities to encourage backyard composting.

“Food waste makes up approximately 20% of the waste that residents generate in their homes. Composting fruit and vegetable scraps saves space in your trash bags and the landfill, while providing nutrient rich material for gardening,” notes Marissa Perez-Dormitzer, Waste Reduction Manager, in a press release.